#restoring the platform

[bse6-blog]

Combination Samsung Galaxy A03S, model "SM-A037F", is a Rom, software, or flash for Samsung Galaxy phones. You can download this file to address some of the problems that occur in the device, such as the problem of protecting the Google FRP account, it helps you to solve the problems of the phone operating system (Android - Android ) and restoring the platform, called factory flashes, the combination files for Samsung phones are important that the software technician uses, and they are the ROMs available for all Samsung phones for free, and we show you in this article all the combination files for all Android versions available for the Samsung Galaxy A03S phone.

[thelvadams]

finished rvb restoration

[thecodeveronica]

WELL here I am still trying to troubleshoot things on my PC after that damned Windows update

System Restore didn't work, I couldn't get Startup Repair to work because of the way logins are a coin flip right now

DISM's restorehealth function was inaccessible yesterday so I did some tinkering and it's now at least working now and in-progress as I type this, though I dunno if that'll help at all

It's just so, SO annoying because if I don't figure this out, I have to wake up every morning and turn this thing off and on via the power button like 4-5 times before it cooperates with me :x

[pandora-midnight]

The vast majority of the left has repidly devolved into accelerationists, authoritarians, and sccelrationist authoritarians. Ideologies we used to all rightfully know are actually terrible praxis.

And the worst part is basically no one seems to care.

[aronarchy]

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1643480282962722817

Ok, longer thread that is a quick and dirty critique of our good friends Clementine Morrigan and Jay “LeSoleil” Manicom’s anti-cancel culture ideology.

To start, a core component of Morrigan and “LeSoleil”/Manicom’s whole shtick is that they are trying to flatten the vast variety of things that can be called “callouts” so as to conflate wildly different things.

Anyone who’s been around social justice/radical left spaces for a hot minute (especially online) has seen a weaponized call out (imo better termed a “context collapse attack”) where a someone, usually someone who doesn’t share any offline community with the target, takes a minor misstep, disagreement, miscommunication or misunderstanding, intentionally strips it of all context, and magnifies it to create a call out, and then uses it to damage the target’s reputation, attempt to ostracize them from an online community, and boost the attacker’s own social capital.

This is absolutely a thing that happens. There 100% are people who use manufactured call outs to build social capital and personal power online. It would be silly to pretend that this isn’t a thing that happens. All that said, this is not what happened to Jay “LeSoleil” Manicom.

Jay was initially called out by members of his local community in Montreal, people who knew him. People who had dated and had sex with him.

He was called out for longstanding behavioral patterns observed and experienced by multiple people, not a singular mistake.

The things Jay was called out for are also things that are genuine safety concerns for folks who are in offline community with him and that are much more serious than whatever your favorite example of tiny irrelevant bullshit weaponized by online opportunists might be.

The call out of Jay “LeSoleil” Marquis-Manicom has almost nothing in common with a context collapse attack, but Jay and Clementine are working very very hard to conflate the two.

And similarly, call outs of rapists, abusers, snitches, and informants and doxxes of fascists have nothing in common with a context collapse attack. Nor can the havoc they wreak on our communities be solved with love, light, and compassion.

Additionally, in much of her writing Morrigan also conflates the right to exist and have one’s basic human needs met with a right to a platform and an audience.

I can agree with Morrigan that, for example, Rovics or Singal do not deserve to be unhoused or to starve, or to go without healthcare.

However, they are not deserving of or entitled to a platform or an audience. No adult person is entitled to the attention or admiration of others. No one is entitled to a platform or an audience.

And if someone is using a platform that they have to do harm as both Rovics and Singal have, without any shred of remorse, I might add. Then they should lose that platform.

If you can’t drive without hitting pedestrians you shouldn’t drive. If you can’t have sex without violating a partner’s consent you shouldn’t be having sex.

If you can’t use your platform without sharing it with fascists (Rovics) or facilitating the rise of a genocidal anti-trans backlash (Singal), then you shouldn’t have a fucking platform 🤷‍♂️

It’s not rocket science

Clemmy also claims that abuse is caused by lack of resources.

Let me be clear, as a certified domestic violence survivor advocate, abuse is not caused by lack of resources.

Sexual violence is not caused by lack of resources or unmet needs. Abuse stems from an entitlement to power and control. Sexual violence similarly stems from a sense of entitlement to access to other people’s bodies.

We cannot end abuse by ensuring that everyone has their basic needs met. Should everyone have their basic survival needs met?

Yes! We should strive for that anyway.

But we shouldn’t pretend that that will solve domestic violence. Meeting people’s basic needs has the ability to reduce abuse because it reduces people’s vulnerability.

It’s harder to find an angle from which to leverage power over someone who is safely and stably housed and has reliable access to food and income. But it’s not impossible, and this does not eliminate the abuser’s desire for power and control, it simply reduces the vulnerability of others.

Morrigan loves to present this statement, that “abuse is caused by lack of resources/unmet needs” as part of “what we know about abuse” when there is an immense body of research that contradicts her. The entire field of DV advocacy disagrees with her.

Morrigan also often wields her own status as a survivor to legitimize her ideological position, citing the phrase “believe survivors” and claiming that her detractors are hypocrites because we disagree with her and call her an abuse apologist, which she is.

Believe survivors means believing the specific survivor of the specific incident of abuse at hand. Not that all survivors are equally qualified to speak on any incident of abuse, especially ones they did not experience or witness.

“Survivor” is not so much a coherent identity as it is a position in a power relationship. Clementine’s status as a survivor does not make her an authority on other survivors’ experiences. Only her own.

Finally, what Morrigan consistently fails to address in her writing is what happens when an abuser has no remorse, no desire to change, and every intention to continue abusing.

She says again and again that shame, fear, punishment, and isolation do not motivate people to change or provide an environment conducive to change. And I agree.

But what we have long known is that the vast majority of abusers, people with a pattern of intentionally harming others with the intent to gain power and control over them, do not change even when provided with an environment conducive to change and all the opportunities in the world.

Linking in this thread because it includes links to both the zine Betrayal and the book Why Does He Do That?, both of which provide further reading on what I’m saying here

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1280945657365139456

So, given what we actually know about abuse and what we actually know to be best practices when supporting survivors, I do not give a flying fuck if abusers change or if they jump off a bridge. My concern is that survivors are safe.

For reading further reading on an actual anarchist, anarcha-feminist, anti-rape and anti-abuse abolitionism please read

More related reading

Some other shit I tweeted a billion years ago that also feels ✨relevant✨

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1377097214091128835

Some of y’all still have extremely liberal and protestant ideas about violence even in your otherwise anarchist analysis and I’m gonna need you to reflect on that

Any way you can spell it out a bit more? (Or link to good resources?)

So the lib position on violence tends to be “using violence makes us just as bad as them” which imo is largely informed by Protestantism in the US context. See: “Turn the other cheek,” etc. That violence has an inherent moral value regardless of context or consequence and that value is always evil or wrong. Imo, as anarchists we should recognize that violence is one of many tactics that exist and are available to us to achieve our goals and that violence has no objective inherent moral value and that its use doesn’t tarnish or soil us unilaterally.

What gives violence its moral value is its context, consequences and application. Violence in pursuit of power or control over others? Wrong. Evil. Violence in self-defense? Violence to save the life of a child? Violence against nazis or rapists? Fine and good actually.

My personal position, (which of course I think is the good and correct anarchist position) is that sometimes violence is necessary. Not a necessary evil. Just necessary. And we should be thoughtful, measured, and judicious in our use of it, conscious of the consequences to both ourselves and those we use it against, but that as long as we are careful and intentional, violence is a value neutral tool that we don’t have to feel dirty for using or fear will slowly poison or tarnish us.

.

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1280945657365139456

If you, like me, are a prison and police abolitionist, please, please read Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft and the zine Betrayal before you talk out your ass about how accountability and restorative justice are one size fits all solutions.

Both survivors and experts like Bancroft have a lot to say about how these methods are rarely successful in stopping serial abusers and rapists from continuing to perpetrate harm and are not enough to keep survivors safe.

Bancroft spent 20 years working to rehabilitate abusive men. In WDHDT he says that rehabilitation is almost never successful. Part of why he wrote the book was to give people the info they needed to identify and avoid abusers because therapy and rehabilitation are so rarely successful.

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1281388479784423424

https://twitter.com/fiszix/status/1281054492889198592

Does Bancroft have a proposal aside from prolonged incarceration, when the abuse becomes criminal? It might be applicable in other situations where rehab just isn’t working.

He doesn’t make suggestions one way or another about community responses to abusers in WDHDT. The book is largely about understanding the psychology and recognizing the behavioral patterns of abusers as well as his insight into why therapy and rehabilitation so rarely succeed.

I suggest it as a relevant read wrt prison abolition largely because it is knowledge that anyone attempting to formulate non-carceral community solutions to harm needs to have in order for their work to be effective and survivor centered.

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1281046641382809600

https://twitter.com/TurnedInTheFire/status/1281043701733744641

Also in WDHDT, Bancroft also says that a necessary ingredient for abusive behavior is a pretty extreme sense of entitlement (which is why abusers are more likely to be cisgender men). It’s hard to maintain that entitlement when you’re not in a society that enables it.

This is true, and my hope is that as we work towards a society that doesn’t enable such an extreme sense of entitlement towards others we will gradually see less and less need for community self defense against perpetrators because we will have fewer perpetrators

but until that time their entitlement is both why they continue to perpetrate and one of the main sticking points preventing their own rehabilitation

I do genuinely hope that an anarchist society is one in which it just is not possible for kids to grow up to become abusers, but I’m not arrogant enough to assert it as fact when we don’t yet have proof that it is true, but Bancroft’s analysis of his patients does give me hope

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1281028339017236482

https://web.archive.org/web/20200709004003/https://twitter.com/FinalOverdrive/status/1281023951586693121

When restorative justice fails, transformative justice falls short... one has no choice but to be punitive. Reject carceral approaches, sure. But punishment? That is the equivalent of facing a Nazi without some sort of weapon.

I wouldn’t really categorize community self-defense against rapists and abusers as “punitive” because I tend to think of punishment as a sort of artificially created consequence to one’s actions.

If a rapist or abuser gets doxxed, jumped, run out of town or even shot that’s not so much a punishment imo, as the natural consequence of his own actions. Chickens coming home to roost.

And it’s also not entirely about him, it’s equally about making the community safe again for the survivor and everyone else. To me, punishment is like if you hit your sibling and then your parent steps in and sends you to time out.

The parent is coming in to a situation from the outside and handing down a punishment they have unilaterally decided is appropriate with no input from the injured party. That’s very different than if your sibling hits you back, or decides they don’t want to play with you anymore.

https://twitter.com/b0ytits/status/1281426890025123840

https://twitter.com/rcf415/status/1281387826916007936

Not to be that person but it’s probably worth noting that Bancroft is very transphobic, and also you’re not wrong that this is a conversation that needs to be had

https://twitter.com/laurawk73/status/1281424777463431170

Apparently an anti-vaxxer as well.

Oof, well that’s a fuckin bummer. Thanks for letting me know

I still stand by the book being required reading because I can’t think of a singular other text that does what it does even half as well, but I’ll def preface my recommendation with that disclaimer from now on

https://twitter.com/Antagonic/status/1281566836853747714

It’s my feeling that Bancroft’s transphobia is kind of a Dawkins problem; expert in one subject area generalizes it into areas he doesn’t actually know shit about. Namely, gendered socialization explains very well what he observes with abusive men, so assumes it Must be immutable

[scoopsgf]

I'm sorry but it is so obvious Taylor simply doesn't care and I feel like such an idiot for believing she is someone who cares about issues that don't affect her. During the Lover Era, watching the the world's most influential white woman take a stand politically and socially to stand up for marginalised people was so empowering. But now look at her...she's doing shows in Texas and refusing to address the archaic homophobic state laws that threaten Drag Queens and the rest of the gay community. She is just casually dating a racist bigot. It was all a lie. My heart goes out to all the queer, muslim, jewish, POC swifties.

god i feel this. to be fair, i do understand her not talking about hot topic shit at shows purely bc it makes them way more unsafe and puts a target on the show, and also the whole production is pretty much timed down to the second, but she could still post about it or something. i liked to believe that she was just kind of anonymously donating to these causes to help out, but now, w this, idk. im just so let down and unsure about everything. like it’s so easy to write it off as her “messy rebound” phase, and i literally do not care that she’s with someone so quick after her breakup, comments like that are so slut-shamey imo. all i care about is who she’s rebounding with and what that says about her. im just really hoping (as shitty as this is) that it’s just like… she’s not thinking straight, she’s feeling a low sense of self worth (like i wouldn’t wish that on a person but it’s a better alternative to the idea that she purely just doesn’t give a shit), maybe she doesn’t know everything or he’s lied to her about stuff or given her explanations… idk. i mean he’s able to brainwash his fans into liking him so it’s not implausible to think he could brainwash her. even so, you think her team would be on this and informing her about everything and advising her to distance herself from someone who is so clearly problematic and awful. i wish at the very least she and her team would say something, reaffirm her political views, show some obvious support for marginalized groups, just anything so that we know his views aren’t a reflection of her own (but even then… ugh idk i just don’t get how she could be with someone who has the opposite mindset as her ((allegedly)). im just so icked out by her association with him in general and i don’t understand what the hell she’s thinking. very much hoping they break up soon and we can all feel overdramatic about it.

[cinnamnt]

you know you really wouldn’t expect a company like fucking apple to put out good content but they’re kinda crushing the tv game rn

[reasonsforhope]

If you're feeling anxious or depressed about the climate and want to do something to help right now, from your bed, for free...

Start helping with citizen science projects

What's a citizen science project? Basically, it's crowdsourced science. In this case, crowdsourced climate science, that you can help with!

You don't need qualifications or any training besides the slideshow at the start of a project. There are a lot of things that humans can do way better than machines can, even with only minimal training, that are vital to science - especially digitizing records and building searchable databases

Like labeling trees in aerial photos so that scientists have better datasets to use for restoration.

Or counting cells in fossilized plants to track the impacts of climate change.

Or digitizing old atmospheric data to help scientists track the warming effects of El Niño.

Or counting penguins to help scientists better protect them.

Those are all on one of the most prominent citizen science platforms, called Zooniverse, but there are a ton of others, too.

Oh, and btw, you don't have to worry about messing up, because several people see each image. Studies show that if you pool the opinions of however many regular people (different by field), it matches the accuracy rate of a trained scientist in the field.

--

I spent a lot of time doing this when I was really badly injured and housebound, and it was so good for me to be able to HELP and DO SOMETHING, even when I was in too much pain to leave my bed. So if you are chronically ill/disabled/for whatever reason can't participate or volunteer for things in person, I highly highly recommend.

Next time you wish you could do something - anything - to help

Remember that actually, you can. And help with some science.

[waledxman123]

Microsoft Outlook and Teams Outage: What Happened and What to Expect

On November 25, 2024, Microsoft services, including Outlook, Teams, and the Microsoft Store, faced widespread disruptions. The outage began early in the morning, with reports surging around 8 AM ET, coinciding with the start of the workday for many users. Microsoft identified the root cause and began rolling out a fix. However, the resolution process has been gradual, with some services still impacted as targeted restarts take longer than anticipated. Microsoft has promised updates as they work toward full restoration.

This outage underscores the challenges of maintaining seamless operations for essential productivity tools, especially as businesses and individuals rely heavily on digital communication platforms. Microsoft advises affected users to monitor their service health dashboards for real-time updates.

For further details, visit sources such as Windows Central and Microsoft’s official channels【10】

read more in google news

Microsoft Outlook and Teams Outage: Detailed Insights

On November 25, 2024, users worldwide reported significant disruptions to key Microsoft services, including Outlook, Teams, and the Microsoft Store. This outage severely impacted businesses and individuals relying on these tools for communication and collaboration. Reports began surfacing as early as 4 AM ET, with a sharp spike at 8 AM ET as the workday commenced. By mid-morning, millions were unable to access emails, schedules, or Teams functionalities.

Timeline of Events

Microsoft began investigating the issue early and identified the problem affecting Exchange Online and Teams’ calendar functionalities. At 9:06 AM ET, the company acknowledged the outage on its Microsoft 365 Status account on X (formerly Twitter), assuring users that a fix was underway. Initial updates indicated progress in deploying patches, but the restoration process proved slower than expected. As of midday, manual restarts for affected servers were still ongoing, leaving many without full access.

read more in google news

What Caused the Outage?

While Microsoft has not publicly disclosed technical specifics, the incident underscores the complexity of managing cloud-based services at scale. Early reports suggest server configurations or software updates might have triggered the disruptions. Microsoft’s gradual rollout strategy aims to minimize broader impacts, ensuring stability during restoration.

Global Impact

The outage hit hard in regions where Microsoft 365 services are vital for productivity, including North America and Europe. Businesses dependent on Outlook for email and Teams for virtual meetings experienced delays and cancellations, forcing many to revert to alternative tools or communication methods.

Current Status

By late evening on November 25, Microsoft reported that its fix had reached 98% of affected environments. However, isolated issues persist, with Microsoft advising users to check the admin center for updates under the case number MO941162. Full restoration is expected soon, though no exact timeline has been provided.

read more in google news

Lessons and Considerations

This outage highlights the growing dependence on cloud services and the need for contingency planning. Organizations should evaluate backup communication tools and ensure staff are prepared for sudden disruptions.

For updates, users are encouraged to monitor Microsoft’s service dashboards and official communication channels. As the situation evolves, Microsoft’s response will likely shape customer trust and future service reliability.

[vegetarianburrito]

Bedroom Orlando

Ideas for remodeling a mid-sized, carpeted guest bedroom with blue walls

[getencircle1]

How Encircle Platform Simplifies Property Restoration Software for Contractors?

If you're looking for a software for restoration of your property which can assist you in managing your projects, collaborate with your team members, and keep track of your work, take a look at Encircle Platform. Encircle Platform is a cloud-based restoration contractor software that permits you to access your information on any device, from any time. It is possible to use the Encircle application to either your Android and iOS device to take sketches, photos, videos and notes on the go. It also lets you create estimates as well as invoices and reports easily. Encircle Platform integrates with popular software for the industry, such as Xactimate, QuickBooks, and Matterport. By using Encircle Platform, you can simplify your software for property restoration and save time and money.

What is the cost of the Encircle Platform?

Based on the search engine results, the cost of Encircle Platform varies depending on the size of your business and the amount of work you perform each year. The basic plan begins with a monthly fee of $250. It can be topped off with $2,750 USD per year for up to 200 jobs annually. The plan provides unlimited users, unlimited storage for data as well as access to mobile and the web and access to the complete range of Encircle field documentation tools. You can also get a free trial to test the software before you buy it. If you need more details, you can visit their website or contact them for a custom pricing quote.

[coolestguyonearth]

Hi everyone, serious post!

If you've been following me for a while or you're a mutual of mine, you probably already know that I'm Native American, but I feel the need to expand a little bit.

I'm a member of the Chinook Indian Nation - I don't expect you to know that name. We've been fighting for recognition as long as I've been alive, even though we've been here since the beginning of European presence in the West Coast, and long before it.

We are constantly fighting. The vast majority of our population was killed by disease and colonization, and with that we lost our language. But after that hardship we are still here. We are still alive. The government has effectively spat in our faces and said that not only are we unworthy of their time - we are unworthy of respect. Of dignity. I'm asking you, the people who take the time to read this post to dedicate even a fraction of your time to signing our petitions, boosting this post, or using the ChinookJustice hashtag on any major social media platform.

We don't just want our land back, we want our home back. We want the bodies of our ancestors, which are routinely dug up during construction. We want the relics of our tribe that are hanging up in museums to be returned, but first there needs to be a home for them to return to. Our campaigns have shockingly low amounts of signatures, but I'm hoping that the good people I know are here can change that.

Here you can sign the petition to restore our federal recognition. Here residents of Washington and Oregon state can contact their legislators in support of federal recognition for the Chinook Nation. Here you can donate to help us continue fighting. Here you can find information about Chinook justice, and here is our official Instagram.

If you spent time reading this, thank you, but if you went out of your way to sign our petitions, donate, or spread awareness, I love you for it.

[transformativeworks]

OTW Website and Donation Form Are Down

18:30 UTC on July 11, 2023

As of now AO3 is back up. However, in the past hour the OTW website and the donation platform have become inaccessible. We believe it is part of the same attack first made on the Archive. We will be providing updates via this account.

We also want to alert fans that on Twitter someone is using the name AO3_Status_ (note the second underscore). If you are on Twitter, please block and report this account. 

The fake account is impersonating our service status account and attempting to scam AO3 users out of money. Fans on all platforms should be wary of anyone soliciting money on behalf of the OTW or its projects at this time. (The real donation form is currently down due to a DDoS.)

Open Doors and Legal Advocacy pages are also not available at this time. Our Fanlore project is being worked on and should be back today.  Our Transformative Works and Cultures site has not been affected. Thank you for being patient while we restore services!

[disaster-recovery]

What is AWS Aurora?

When information is gathered, stored and recalled in computing, it is done so via databases. A database is simply an organized collection of data that can be recalled as needed. A database typically does minimal processing outside organizing data, but some databases parse data at a low level. These types of systems are used to collect information like customer billing details or product inventory levels, but they are also used in apps and other software settings where information needs to be stored and recalled to use features of an app or piece of software.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides access to cloud-based database engines, and you can turn to AWS for different types of database setups that cater to different needs. If you’re looking for a relational database engine that can integrate with MySQL, AWS Aurora is a good option.

Relational Database Systems

AWS Aurora is part of AWS relational database systems (RDS). This means that databases that take advantage of AWS Aurora are simple to set up and manage in the cloud. Aurora restore backup systems can also be used to protect sensitive data against threats like theft, deletion or corruption. Amazon already provides plenty of security oversight when it comes to database protection, but you can also implement Aurora restore backup services in addition to those offered directly through AWS.

Other Features of AWS Aurora

AWS Aurora also provides access to features like one-way replication and push-button migration. Additionally, you can gain more power from using AWS Aurora through DB clusters. These arrangements harness the power of multiple units working in concert with one another to serve data at scale for larger operations.

Within different regions, AWS Aurora can be configured to include various availability zones. This offers more options to maintain data integrity while also offering speed and enhanced connectivity options. The whole point of having a cluster is to allow data to be served faster to users in different parts of the country or the world, and AWS Aurora can do this when configured according to region and availability zone.

Read a similar article about AWS data protection here at this page.

[monzabee]

pon de replay - cl16 (+18)

masterlist ||

Summary: The one where Charles decide to prove to everyone that it is him that you belong to, and only him.

Pairing: charles leclerc x reader 

Word Count: 4.8k

Warnings: smuttt, nothing but pure filth, one might even say it is pwp, unprotected sex (cover your willy don’t be silly), oral (f receiving), kinda exhibitionism?, public sex, jealous charles, possessive charles, carlos being a little shit because he’s bored, poor lando, not even sure if i fulfilled the request or not, minors dni!! 

Request: “HELLOOOO! i have an idea and you don’t have to write it but it’s been rattling around in my brain and im never gonna write it (i constantly have way too many ideas to write them fr) myself so i figured i’d send it to you cause you’ve kinda restored my F1 phase with your work. basically, reader being very goofy, funny, and maybe a little bit too loud at times. just like a very silly and bubbly personality and she hangs out with some of the f1 boys (maybe because she’s famous in her own right like a dancer or something) so naturally EVERYONE ships her with lando. like hardcore, almost as bad as one direction fans ships (iykyk), and it sorta makes sense cause when they’re together it’s pure and utter chaos and they both express themselves with physical touch B U T ! she’s actually with charles. to her it makes total sense to be with charles instead of lando cause while lando is definitely attractive he’s too much like her and it’d be like dating herself whereas charles brings out a new calm side to her and she can bring out a goofier side to him. opposites attract type shit😭. maybe a little angst cause charles hates seeing all the edits and also feels a little insecure cause lando and reader DO make sense together in his mind so why’d you pick him instead? then like soft fluff/smut reassurance that charles is literally the man of her dreams, a literal fucking prince, and the best person she’s ever been with. ANYWAYS, im rambling! again, you don’t have to write this if you don’t connect with it or don’t have time i just needed an outlet SOMEWHERE for all the F1 brain rot.”

Author’s Note: hi, hey, hello!! i first of all want to start by saying that i’m very sorry that this isn’t exactly like the request, like at all, but it took me a criminal amount of time to actually get this finished so we’re not going to focus on that. okay? okay, great!! in all and all it was actually quite fun to work on this at the beginning, it was just kinda hard for some reason to work on the actual smut part, but i hope you guys enjoy! good morning, noon or night wherever you are, xoxobee

Please also note that all of my works are protected under copyright, and not available for reposting on other platforms. 

Charles wouldn’t call himself a possessive person, not a chance. He might be ambitious, and competitive, but possessive? That, he is not. He’s never been the type of get jealous of his partner’s friends, whether male or female, because he likes to think that he is mature enough to understand that people have friends. It’s that simple. And he is most definitely not the type of person to comment on what you wear when you’re going out, he is just not that guy. He’s fairly certain that his mother would materialise out of thin air and give him a good beating if he were to do that. So when you asked him about the dress you have on earlier before you left his apartment, the one that clings to your body so tightly that he can practically make out the outline of your tits from across the room? He just smiled and told you to have fun tonight – because he’s there to make sure you’re not put off by anyone staring at you in it.

So yeah. He’s not usually the type to let the jealousy take over his ability to think things out rationally, but when his girlfriend is dancing her heart away in the middle of the dance floor while every red-blooded men watch her with the same look in their eyes? Yeah, it’s not easy to keep his emotions in check at the moment given the circumstances. And it’s not that he even intends to pout like a petulant child at the bar, making sure to keep an eye on you, it’s just that he is an expressive person and his face reflects what he’s feeling that well. Totally because of that. It’s scary how utterly focused he is on you, watching your every move to make sure no one is bothering you, though you don’t seem to be in need of his help as he watches you dance with one of the girls you met when you first arrived to the club – and with Lando, though he tries not to focus on that part too much.

It's fine, though, he tries to make himself believe, it’s fine as long as you’re having fun. Though that doesn’t necessarily stop him from throwing daggers into Lando’s direction as covertly as he can. The way he has a friendly arm around you is driving him crazy, and he is not above stomping over there to pull you under his arm, drag you to the nearest bathroom and– Well, maybe he shouldn’t get too far ahead of himself just yet.

“They look good together, no?” He hears someone ask him from the side. He realises it is his teammate when he turns to give the person a glare.

“Who?” He asks, deciding to play dumb, but he can’t help himself as he makes a face while focusing his gaze back on you.

“You know who I’m talking about, cabrón!” Carlos exclaims, laughing as he pats him on the back and points to the two of you with a tilt of his head, “I’m glad he’s finally doing something about it rather than sulking around like a geriatric toddler.”

If he would have turned around any faster, Charles is sure his neck would actually, possibly, break. “What?” he spits out as he turns around, “Do you mean her and Lando?”

Carlos gives his teammate a confused look, “Yes,” he drawls out, “you didn’t know he had a crush on her? I thought the entire paddock knew!” Charles feels a surge of disbelief and a tinge of anger bubbling within him.

He wouldn't call it possessiveness, more like a primal instinct to protect what's his. But this revelation catches him off guard, shattering his carefully constructed facade of nonchalance. With doing his best to keep calm under the situation, he asks, “Are you sure you’re not making things up? I feel like you’re misreading the situation here.”

That receives another confused look from his teammate, and though Charles is quite the perceptive person, he misses Carlos starting to put the pieces together – thanks to his overreaction. “I guess so,” Carlos mumbles, loud enough for Charles to hear him in the loud club, “he’s always talking about her, though. The way she smiles, her hair, her dresses; did you know he even went to see one of her performances in Vegas?” Carlos feels bad, really, but there is also something so fulfilling in confirming his theories as he watches his teammate’s eyes bulge out at the mention of one of your dance shows in Vegas. Because Charles knows what those entail.

“I-in Vegas?” He stutters out, eyes moving to focus on your dancing figure again. And at that moment, he absolutely hates Lando. He hates him for having his arms around you, he hates him for dancing with you to the beat in a rhythm he never seems to be able to keep up with, he hates him for the way everybody seems to think the two of you seem to make a handsome couple, and he absolutely hates him for the way he makes you smile.

Charles Leclerc is not a possessive guy – until it comes to you, that is.

“Charles?” He hears Carlos call out his name, but he’s out of his seat long before he can hear the end of his sentence. He doesn’t mean to stomp across the dance floor to get to you. He really doesn’t. He also doesn’t mean to grab you by your arm and put a pause on your fun. And the smile you give him and the way you wrap your arms around his neck while you call him ‘Charlie’? Makes his heart stutter in a way that makes him forget why he ever came over in this first place. Because this should be normal – you, having male friends and spending time with them should not make him insecure. He should be fine with you and Lando spending time together because you both love the hustle and bustle of a club. But at that moment, he doesn’t care about what should be normal, no. He cares about the fact that someone other than him has managed to make you smile, and that he needs to remind you that he’s the only one who should be on the receiving end of all your smiles.

So when he drags you away from the dancefloor (and Lando, for that matter), he doesn’t listen to your objections. He doesn’t care about the way Carlos is watching from his place from the bar, putting all the pieces together as he shares a look with Lando. And he most definitely doesn’t care about the fact that he’s about to fuck you in the club’s bathroom. Well, maybe he does care about that last part. “Charlie,” you whine, your voice clearly scratched from shouting along the lyrics of the songs playing throughout the night, and he doesn’t miss the way you slur his name ever so slightly – which tells him that you had at least two drinks. Cosmopolitans, if he had to guess. “Pleaaase,” you drag out the word, pulling on his shirt to get his attention, “they are playing my song!”

His first mistake is to look at you, because the way your lips form a pout and the way you’re giving him puppy dog eyes is usually strong enough for him to give in. Though this is no usual situation. So instead of moving the two of you back to the dancefloor, he grabs you by your cheeks and presses his lips against you. In the middle of the club, where everybody can see him doing it. The way his lips move against yours is aggressive, and you’re definitely out of breath when he does move away. Cosmopolitans, he realises after tasting you. You've had cosmopolitans. Then, he just gives you a look, threads his fingers through yours and raises an eyebrow. Then he asks, “Are you going to be a good girl and come with me now, or should I do this the hard way and just carry you on my shoulder?”

If this was any other situation, you would totally say something bratty back. Hell, you might have actually said something rude if it meant him being rough with you, maybe spanking you a few times just enough times for you to learn your lesson. But you understand that this is no ordinary situation from his voice and the expression on his face. Charles is like that, you suppose. He’s an open book – meaning that it is very easy to understand what kind of a mood he’s in just by looking at his face, or listening to the undertone of his voice. And right now? Right now you know he’s pissed. You don’t necessarily know what you did, nor do you care. Mainly because all you want to do is make him feel better simply because of the reason that he is one of those people who’s just meant to smile at all times, not frown.

And so you nod gingerly, squeaking out a thimble, “Yes.” You finally meet his eyes as you wrap yourself around his arm, pushing yourself closer to him in the crowded club. “I’ll be good.”

This thumb does that thing where he caresses your knuckle, and he starts moving you through the crowd again. This time, however, you try to stick to him by matching the speed of his steps rather than trying to stay back. You told him you’d be good, you intend to keep your promise. He’s quiet all the way to the bathroom, and he’s quiet when he motions you to get inside, and he’s quiet when he closes to door and promptly locks it behind your back. You think for a moment you’re just there for a chat, maybe about that something you might’ve done, but Charles takes you by surprise as he grabs your waist and pushes you against the door, causing your eyes to widen with realisation of what you’re about to do in that bathroom.

“Charles, what’s wrong?” You try to ask, but he shuts you up with another kiss. And if you thought the previous kiss was aggressive, this one absolutely consumes you. He doesn’t even give you a fighting chance as his tongue quickly dominates yours, and he is relentless as he nips at your lower lip. You can’t help the mortifying moan that leaves your lips, and you push him away to inhale deeply. “What has gotten into you?” You ask, eyes wide due to the adrenaline coursing through your veins, “What happened?”

“You, happened.” He growls. And by that, you mean that he actually growls. His voice is a few octaves deeper than his usual voice, and you can see that he’s snappy. There is this dark look in his eyes that would otherwise scare you if you didn’t know him, but you do. Because he’s your Charles.

And you know this because the quickly leans into your touch when you bring one of your hands up to cup his cheek, giving him a confused look. “Did I do something?” You ask, voice soft amidst the humid bathroom. “Oh my god, is it my dress? Is it too short?” Your eyebrows draw closer as you start properly spiralling. “I knew I should’ve worn the shorts, why didn’t you say something?”

Your mini monologue about your party attire must have struck a chord because Charles suddenly exhales heavily, his forehead resting against yours as he closes his eyes. “No, non, it's not about the fucking dress,” he lashes out, his voice strained, and lace with something else that you can’t quite catch. “I don’t care what you wear, though I do appreciate the easy access.”

“Easy access?” You repeat, testing out the words as you come to a realisation. “What?” You exclaim, quickly taking your hand away from his face to lightly slap at his chest. “No! We are definitely not doing that here, are you out of your mind? You pulled me away because you can’t keep it in your pants until we’re home?”

“And why not?” He asks, and this time, you can see the unbridled rage behind his look. “Would you rather go back to Lando out there? You looked quite happy in his arms after all.”

And the realisation dawns on you right then and there. That this isn’t about your choice of dress for the evening, no. It is about Lando. Though you don’t get that part, since he’s both of your friend, so why is Charles being like this? And you would ask him, of course. But the look he gives you indicates that he doesn’t want to be tested in that exact moment.

So instead, you attempt to calm him down, by dragging your hand gently down his chest and wrapping your arms around his middle. He is like that, your Charles, sometimes he just wants to be held to see reason. “Charlie,” you call out, voice soft as you give him a pleading look, “why don’t you tell me what this is about, hm?”

You think he’s going to finally give in for a moment, but then he just gives you a blank stare. “I don’t want to talk,” he grunts, pulling you flush against him by the hands he has on your waist. His lips are on your neck faster than you can say anything, working his way towards your collarbones. The faint whimpers that come out of your lips bring a small smile to his lips knowing that he’s the one causing them, not Lando or any other guy.

“Charles,” you gasp, your fingers tangling in his hair as his lips trail along your skin. Despite the confusion and frustration swirling within you, you can't deny the way his touch ignites a fire deep within you, consuming your thoughts and leaving you breathless with desire. But as much as you crave his touch, you know that there are unresolved issues between you, issues that need to be addressed before you can fully give yourself to him in this moment. “Charlie,” you repeat, your voice barely above a whisper as you gently push against his chest, urging him to stop. “Stop, we need to talk about this.”

“Talk about what?” He asks, all breathy and with a wild look in his eyes. You can see that he’s trying to hold himself back, but at the same time his hands keep moving on your body in a way that makes you want to let him lose control and perhaps even join him. He successfully ignores your attempts at pushing him away, sliding his hands down on your body to grab the hem of your dress, clenching the material in his hand while dragging it upwards on your thighs until he reaches the soft skin of your stomach. “I have a thing in mind which might help me feel better.” Unable to take your eyes off of him, you take a stuttered breath as you watch him slowly get down on his knees, his lips pressing kisses starting form your sternum continuing down your body over your dress until you feel his lips on the exposed skin of your stomach. His kisses stop once he’s met with the top lining of your underwear, looking at you with a mischevious glint in his eyes as he nips at the nimble lace adorning the top. You call out his name in a weak whimper – though it is not clear to you, nor him, whether you’re asking him to stop or go on. Charles decides to go with the latter. “You know what to say if you want me to stop.”

You don’t really need his reminder, you realise, but it is a welcome one. Your cheeks blush even further when you feel his gaze on you as he lowers his face towards your core, leaving a sweet kiss onto your clit through the fabric of your thong. Suddenly, you want nothing more than to just rip to whole thing apart so there is nothing separating you from him, but you know the game, and you especially know that the ending is sweeter than what you could ever imagine at that moment. And so you wait – you wait until he eventually makes his move and gives your slit a generous lick through the fabric. Watching you is equal parts thrilling and painful, mainly because he wants to drag out his teasing as long as possible just to see you falling apart for him. It’s second nature to you, the way your hand threads through his hair to move him the way you want to, but it is of course not an option because it’s Charles who is in charge.

He makes this known by the way he pulls away, ignoring the way your hands scramble to guide him back to where you want him to be. He nips at the skin of your thigh in a warning manner, pulling a whine from your lips as he fixes you with a look, “You’re not in control tonight, mon bijou, I’ll stop if you try to take over. You got that?” It’s sobering to see him take control in such a way, you sweet little Charles. Usually, he has no problem just laying back and letting you take all the control, or even just making you believe you do. But now? With the way he’s looking at you with such hunger? You know you’d be soaking through your underwear if you weren’t so wet for him already. All you can do is offer him a meek nod, with your lips hanging open in shock, but he is not satisfied with your answer. No, he needs to hear you say the words. So, being the initiative person that he his, he tips at your skin again, this time earning himself a whimper along a grumble about how he’s being unreasonable. He isn’t, but that’s a topic to discuss another time, he decides. “I said, you got that?”

“Yes! Fine, yes!” You whine, grabbing your dress even tighter with your fist that isn’t buried in his hair, “Please just make me come.”

“See?” He asks, flashing you a sweet smile as he lowers his face back onto where you need him the most, “It wasn’t that hard now, is it?” The grumble about how he’s about to be the hard one, makes him chuckle to himself, the rumbling from it making you moan his name as he finally gives you what you want. His tongue works fast as he laps on the wetness through your underwear, soaking the material even more without a care in the world. If you weren’t wet before, you’re sure you’re definitely wet as he drags his tongue through your slit and back onto your clit to suck it through the fabric, causing you to let out a string of moans, each getting considerably louder as he works on your cunt.

The breath is knocked out of your lungs as the moments pass, as you become closer and closer to your impending release. You don’t even notice the fact that you’ve started to move your hips to match the rythym of his tongue, seeking something more to make you tip over the edge. You’re also very aware of the fact that Charles is letting you what you want to do, and though you’re scared out of you midn that he’ll stop like he threatened to do before, the little nod he gives you when you give him a pleading look assures you that he also wants you to come undone on his face.

Or so you’ve thought.

Because he knows your body so well that jus as you’re about to come he pulls back, leaving you high and dry, and even has the nerve to chuckle when he hears his name coming out of your mouth in a high pitched whine. You’re so lost in the moment that you almost miss the way he gently grabs your hands and removes them from his hair, pinning them above you and pushing you against the wall. “Why?” You whine, lips pushed out in a pout as your voice gets gradually whinier, “I was so close, Charles.”

“Oh, baby,” he cooes, “I know you were, I could feel it too.” He starts peppering your feverish skin with kisses, as if to say sorry for leaving you on the brink of an orgasm, and you find yourself arching your neck to expose more of your skin to his skillfull lips. You should stop him, some part of you screams to you in your head, because with the way he’s disguising the fact that he’s marking you with hickeys, but you don’t care at that moment. Your every breath and moan seem to motivate him to work faster, and harder, and when he eventually pulls back to leave a bruising kiss on your lips. A smirk finds its way onto his lips as he gives you an eyeing down, taking in how breathless you look. “Don’t worry, mon bijou, I’ll fuck you now, okay?”

You don’t even realise the nod you give him, too lost in his eyes to put words together to form a proper sentence. He’s gentle with you as he lets go of your hands and positions you the way he wants. With one of your legs wrapped around his hip he has better access to your soaked underwear, his fingers working quickly to pulling it aside. You don’t know when he managed to get himself free from his pants and underwear, but that doesn’t stop you from letting out a loud moan when you feel the tip of his cock circling your clit. “Please, please, please,” your voice cracks as you frantically beg him to do something more. You’d love nothing more than to scold him for the way he shushes you condescendingly, but any complaint you had evaporates when you feel him nudge your entrance. “Please,” you breathe out again, giving him pleading looks as you try to pull him closer somehow, “You promised me you’d fuck me.”

That manages to pull out a beathy chuckle for him, and as if he’s trying to console you, you feel his fingers gently caressing the skin of your hip. “Why don’t you do it yourself, hm?” A grin widens on his lips when you give him a look of confusion, and he leads one of your hands between your bodies for you to wrap it around his cock. “You want me inside you, right?” He rewards your tentative nod with a series of kisses down the column of your throat, “Come on then,” he mumbles into your skin, “put it in, pretty girl.” Exhaling a shaky breath, you keep your eyes on him as you guide him through your entrance. A gasp is torn from your lips when you feel his tip entering you, the initial stretch being more overwhelming because of the fact that you’re standing up. But Charles is quick to soothe you with his kisses down your neck, letting you control the rhythym and how further he can move inside you at first. With your hand making its way down to his hip, pressing him close to you, he quickly gets the message that you’re ready for him. “You’re ready?” He double-checks, raising his head to fix his eyes to yours.

“I swear to god if you don’t fuck me right now–” Your words are interrupted when you feel him move his hips back, just enough to have his tip inside you, and then he snaps his hips forward to thrust back in, making your breath hitch at the back of your throat. It doesn’t take very long for you to become a moaning mess, in fact, you’re more than ready to fall apart for him then and there, but you know he won’t let you until he gets his point across.   

“Look at you, mon bijou,” Charles darkly chuckles, hips matching the rhythym of the song playing outside at the dance floor, “what would people think if they saw you being such a mess for me in a club’s bathroom?” And the whine you let out in response to his question nothing if pathethic, but you can’t find it in you to care because of how good he’s making you feel. “Yes?” He prompts you, mocking the whiny ‘Yes’, that leaves your mouth before you start begging him to let you come. But he doesn’t, because he knows you can hold it until he’s ready for you too, and he tells you just that.

“So good, Charlie, so good,” you can’t help the broken moans you let out as he fucks you to the brink of an orgasm. But that is not enough for him, no. He needs everyone to know the two of you are together now, needs to get out all of his pent up frustrations out.

So when the opportunity presents itself with Lando knocking on the door asking if you are okay? A knowing smirk find its way onto his lips, and you try to silently plead with him with your eyes. “You want to cum?” He whispers in your ear, his thrusts becoming faster. “Say my name if you want to come, baby.”

“Please–” You gasp, hands grabbing the shirt he’s wearing. It’s no avail even if you try to keep your voice down. Because when Charles finds a way to slither his hand down between your legs and starts rubbing your clit in firm circles? You know there is no way you can stay quiet through your orgasm. “Why?” You manage to get out, “God, Charles please.”

“Tell me who’s making you feel so good, pretty girl.” He encourages you, his rhythym now almost brutal as he tries his best to make you come for him. “Come on, tell me who you belong to.” He chuckles darkly when he sees you shaking your head. “It’s not Lando, it’s me. You hear that?” Uh-huh, is the only answer he receives in return, but he is of course not satisfied with it. So, he gently pinches the inside of your thigh. “Tell me who’s going to make you come, or I’ll stop.”

“N-no!” You exclaim, too overwhelmed to see that his threat is an empty one, because he would never actually do something like that to you. “Please, please don’t stop.”

“Come on,” he cooes, the sweet words he whispers into your skin making you more and more malleable to his request. “Say my name baby, let me hear you.”

“Charles,” your loud moan cuts the heavy air in the bathroom. Cheeks flushed, breath unorganised and with that wild look in your eyes? There’s nothing Charles wouldn’t do for you. With every move of his hips, you moan his name louder, eventually tipping over the edge as he feels you squeezing his cock so tight that he almost loses himself then and there.

That’s not to say he doesn’t, of course. Because just as you’re about done with your orgasm, you feel him come inside you, chanting your name alongside mine, mine mine. It takes a long time for the both of you to get back to your senses, but he’s extremely gentle with you as he helps you down and fixes your underwear. You find yourself snuggling up to him when he eventually takes you into his arms after fixing his own clothing, nuzzling your nose to his neck. “You know, I think I like the jealous side of you.” You mumble, leaving a few kisses across his jaw.

“Yeah?” He asks, a breathy chuckle leaving him as he cradles your face with both of his hands, his thumbs caressing the apples of your cheeks.

“Yeah.” You nod, giving him a small smile, “But I need you to take me home, please, I can feel your cum dripping down my leg.”

“Oh baby,” he coos, tutting as he slides his hands down your body to grab you by the waist, “we’re not going home, it would be rude to leave our friends by themselves. Don’t you think so?” The flabbergasted look that you give him makes another chuckle come from his lips as he slowly turns you towards the door. His lips find the junction between your neck and shoulder again as he announces, “We’re going to go back out there, and we’re going to dance. We wouldn’t want you to miss your song now, would we?”

And when he opens the bathroom door and you hear the first words to a Rihanna song you love? You know it’s going to be a long night ahead of you.

[reasonsforhope]

Article | Paywall Free

"A bid to break up Alphabet Inc.’s Google is one of the options being considered by the Justice Department after a landmark court ruling found that the company monopolized the online search market, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations.

The move would be Washington’s first push to dismantle a company for illegal monopolization since unsuccessful efforts to break up Microsoft Corp. two decades ago. Less severe options include forcing Google to share more data with competitors and measures to prevent it from gaining an unfair advantage in AI products, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.

Regardless, the government will likely seek a ban on the type of exclusive contracts that were at the center of its case against Google. If the Justice Department pushes ahead with a breakup plan, the most likely units for divestment are the Android operating system and Google’s web browser Chrome, said the people. Officials are also looking at trying to force a possible sale of AdWords, the platform the company uses to sell text advertising, one of the people said.

The Justice Department discussions have intensified in the wake of Judge Amit Mehta’s Aug. 5 ruling that Google illegally monopolized the markets of online search and search text ads. Google has said it will appeal that decision, but Mehta has ordered both sides to begin plans for the second phase of the case, which will involve the government’s proposals for restoring competition, including a possible breakup request.

The US plan will need to be accepted by Mehta, who would direct the company to comply. A forced breakup of Google would be the biggest of a US company since AT&T was dismantled in the 1980s."

-via Bloomberg, August 13, 2024